Super 16 Poll Week 5: Complete Rankings Released for 2014 Season
There were close calls, shocking results and Heisman-esque performances. There were conference clashes, prime-time matchups and points galore.
In other words, it was just another weekend of college football.
And with this week's results, the Super 16 poll—a poll that votes under the premise of deciding the top 16 teams in the nation as though there were a 16-team playoff to finish the season—has once again shifted.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Let's take a look at the latest poll, along with Bleacher Report's official Top 25, and recap this week's most notable action.
| 1 | Florida State | Oregon |
| 2 | Oregon | Florida State |
| 3 | Alabama | Alabama |
| 4 | Oklahoma | Oklahoma |
| 5 | Texas A&M | Auburn |
| 6 | Auburn | Texas A&M |
| 7 | Baylor | Baylor |
| 8 | Notre Dame | Notre Dame |
| 9 | Ole Miss | Michigan State |
| 10 | Michigan State | Ole Miss |
| 11 | UCLA | UCLA |
| 12 | Mississippi State | Georgia |
| 13 | Georgia | South Carolina |
| 14 | South Carolina | Mississippi State |
| 15 | Arizona State | Stanford |
| 16 | BYU | Arizona State |
| 17 | N/A | BYU |
| 18 | N/A | USC |
| 19 | N/A | LSU |
| 20 | N/A | Wisconsin |
| 21 | N/A | Nebraska |
| 22 | N/A | East Carolina |
| 23 | N/A | Ohio State |
| 24 | N/A | Clemson |
| 25 | N/A | Oklahoma State |
Analysis
A lot of teams are likely feeling pretty lucky to either be as high as they are on this week's poll or even included at all.
Florida State gave Clemson every opportunity to win and still survived. Auburn was tested by Kansas State. Washington State gave Oregon everything it could handle and then some. West Virginia gave Oklahoma something to ponder, though the Sooners pulled away in the second half. Alabama faced a similar challenge against Florida.
And then there was LSU, which shockingly lost to Mississippi State.
"It's not necessarily just the players," head coach Les Miles told The Associated Press, via ESPN.com, after LSU's disappointing performance. "I'm putting first of all the responsibility on me. I know our guys on our team expect more from themselves... They're stung and it's not something that they enjoyed."
No indeed. It would be hard to enjoy giving up 570 yards of total offense, with 302 coming on the ground.
Meanwhile, Clemson's brutal schedule to start the season has not done it any favors. A trip to Georgia in the opener certainly humbled the Tigers, while Saturday night's overtime loss to Florida State broke their hearts, especially since the Seminoles put the game on a silver platter for Clemson and the away side couldn't take advantage.
Just consider the following stat from John Buccigross of ESPN:
You don't win football games by failing to convert in the red zone; it's really that simple. And you don't win the ACC by failing to beat a Jameis Winston-less Florida State, either.
Oregon is likely counting its blessings, meanwhile, and most of them begin with the words, "God bless Marcus Mariota." The star quarterback completed 21 of 25 passes for 329 passing yards and five touchdowns with no turnovers despite being sacked seven times. Can you say Heisman?
Of course, the defense was also pushed to the max, giving up 436 passing yards and four touchdowns to opposing quarterback Connor Halliday. Oregon's opponents are going to take two things from the game film: You can harass Oregon's offensive line with a solid pass rush, and you can certainly throw the ball against the Ducks.
Whether or not that's enough to beat Mariota and company remains to be seen.
With most of the big teams surviving this week, there simply weren't that many surprises in the Super 16. There might be some movement this week, however, with UCLA facing Arizona State and Missouri taking on South Carolina, while there's always the possibility for a major upset.
College football is as crazy and enthralling as ever. Expect even more surprises next week.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
